President Zelensky’s Assassination Claims
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that he has thwarted more than five assassination attempts by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In an interview with the British daily The Sun on the 20th (local time), President Zelensky stated, “I don’t know how many times the Russian side has plotted to assassinate me, but Ukrainian intelligence authorities have thwarted at least 5-6 of them.”
He compared the assassination attempts by Russia to COVID-19. He said that he initially panicked facing the first assassination plot, similar to the initial spread of COVID-19, but gradually became accustomed to it.
President Zelensky explained, “The assassination attempts felt very scary at first, not knowing what to do, but now it’s just sharing information that another group has crossed into Ukraine to try to kill me.”
President Zelensky mentioned that Russia, which has been invading Ukraine for almost two years, is still trying to oust him from power, and the codename for Russia’s operation aiming to oust him by the end of the year is “Maidan 3.”
Maidan refers to the massive anti-government protest in Independence Square, Kyiv, Ukraine, in November 2013. The protest, known as the Euromaidan Revolution, ousted then-President Viktor Yanukovych, who was pro-Russian and anti-Western.
President Zelensky said that Russia’s Maidan 3 operation may not go as far as assassination to change the president, but “they will mobilize all means they have.”
Critique of Russia’s Global Actions
President Zelensky also criticized Russia for supporting Hamas in the war between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas. He said that President Putin is trying to distract the world’s attention from the war in Ukraine by causing problems in the Balkans.
President Zelensky warned that President Putin is “setting fires” around the world and that “Ukraine is at the center of a global risk that could escalate into World War III.”
Regarding the recent situation, he admitted that although they had achieved a feat by destroying part of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and limiting its influence in the Black Sea, their counterattack on land was insufficient. He emphasized the desperate need for more anti-aircraft weapons to advance soldiers to the front line and protect civilians in key cities.
By. Lee Ji Eun
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